The invention relates generally to pointing devices and, more particularly, to wireless pointing devices.
Common computer system pointing devices include the mouse, joystick, and trackball. Of these, the most widely used is the mouse. A typical mouse includes two or three buttons and a steel ball coated with gum or plastic which rotates as the mouse is moved. The ball""s motion is typically transmitted mechanically to two rollers arranged perpendicularly to one another. The rollers convert the mouse""s movement in the X and Y directions into a rotation of two slotted disks. The disks, in turn, alternately open or close a photosensor assembly. The number of photosensor assembly open and close operations may be used to unambiguously determine the mouse""s motion in the X and Y directions, while the number of open and close operations in a specified time period may provide an indication of the mouse""s speed of motion.
Pointing devices typically pass data describing the amount of their motion as well as whether the user has activated one or more buttons to a host computer system in the form of a data packet. For example, a mouse data packet may indicate that the mouse has moved a-units in the X direction, b-units in the Y direction (a and b may be positive or negative values), and that it""s left button is depressed. Other pointing devices, such as an optical mouse, may use optical sensors and a specially patterned mouse pad to detect the mouse""s motion. (The specially patterned mouse pad is used to allow the mouse""s internal logic circuitry to determine its direction and speed of motion.) Data packets are generally transmitted to the host computer system (where they may be processed by a software mouse driver routine) via a cable or, alternatively, an infrared or radio frequency link.
Current pointing devices require the user to mentally transform motion of the pointing device in one plane (typically the plane of the user""s desk or keyboardxe2x80x94the surface on which the pointing device is moved) to motion in a second plane (the user""s display). It Is awkward and unnatural for most individuals not to point at the object being moved. Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a pointing mechanism that allows a user to point at the device (e.g., a computer display) being manipulated.
In one embodiment the invention provides a wireless pointing device having a motion circuit to indicate when the wireless pointing device is in motion, and a transmitter coupled to the motion circuit to transmit a unique signal indicative of the wireless pointing device""s motion.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a receiver to receive signals from a wireless pointing device, a control circuit to generate control signals based on a classification of the received signals, and an analysis circuit, operatively coupled to the receiver and the control circuit, to determine a characteristic of the received signals. Signal classification may include determination of whether the received signal indicates motion of the wireless pointing device and/or whether a wireless pointing device control (a button or switch, for example) has been activated. Signal characteristics may include motion and/or the speed of motion of the wireless pointing device.